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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.'

NEIL vGr. MCINTYRE, OF BROOKLYN,

NEW YORK, `ASSl-GNOR OF SEVEN- EIGHTHS TO WARREN W. SHEPPARD, JESSIE MCINTYRE, OATHARINA HERBST, lAND BOBINA R. HEDGES, ALL OF SAME PLACE.

. ADJUSTABLE TUBE-EXPANDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 268,918, dated December 12, 1882.

Application filed March 2T, 1882. (No model.)

to expand only one size of tube, necessitatingthe employment of a separate implement for each size, of tube. l

This invention has'for its object to make such implements universal in their application, or so adjustable thata great number of differentsizetubesmay beproperlyexpanded to make `atght joint between the tubes and the tubesheet of boilers by means of one implement; and to accomplish this desirable result I utilize the power obtained by the combination of the screw and inclined planein forcin g expanding-rollers carried by jaws outward against the inside ofthe tube to be expanded, said jaws being held at their central parts in radial slots formed in a disk or plate, which also retains a screw-shaft having a right and left thread in position, which carries two nuts provided with inclined faces a'dapted to slide over correspondingly-inclined faces on Vthe ends of the jaws, and thereby force the jaws outward when the screw-shaft is rotated to draw the two nuts toward the holding disk or plate, and when the expandingrollers on the jaws are forced against the inside of the tube the whole implement is rotated by means of a rod placed in socket-holes formed in the edge of the disk, thereby rolling the end. of the tube'ontward in close contact with the tube-sheet. Thejaws are held against the nuts by means of springs, and they are each provided with an adjustable sliding block having a roller adapted to bear against the front of the tube-sheet around the t projecting end of the tube as a guidi-to steady the implement, and to adjust the expandingrollers in proper position to act on the part of the tube directly within .the hole of the tubesheet.

To describem y invention more particularly,

l will referto the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Fignre l represents a longitudinal sectional view of one of my improved tube-expanders adjusted to expand the smaller size tube it is slots, in-which-are fitted to slide, in radial direction only the jaws b b. The endstof these jaws b b. at their inner sides, have inclined surfaces b b', against which tit the wedge-shaped 6o The disk or plate a is provided with radialV nuts oc', the one, c, having aright-hand screwi threadvformed through it, and the other, c', at left-hand screw-thread. Through these nuts c c' and the center ofthe disk or plate a is located the right and left hand screw-shaft d, the same being held iirmly to the plate a, as regards longitudinal movement, by means of the collars d d. One end of the screw-shaft d is provided with a head, d2, by means of which it may be rotated to move the wedgeshaped nuts c c to or from the plate a; and to insure the nuts from rotating with the screw d, I propose to groove their inclined faces and form ribs on the inclined faces of thejaws to tit therein, as shown. Near one end of the jaws b b recesses are formed, in which are placed the expanding-rollers e e, the outer sides of which project above the jaws, so that they only come in contact with the tubef, Figi 1, and these rollers are retained in the recesses in the jaw by means of the small retentionplates e e', let into the jaws to extend over small trunnions formed on the ends of the rollers e e. i

To hold the implement in place while in use the guide-rollers g g are provided, which bear against the face of the tube-sheet h, as shown in Fig. 1. These rollers may be pivoted in projecting pieces on the jaws b b, so as to retain a fixed position in relation to the expanding-rollers e e; but I prefer to make them adjustable, so that when they bear against the tube-sheet h the said tube-sheet will be direct'l ly over the center ot the rollers e e, whatever thickness the tube-sheet may have. As shown, these guide-rollers g g are pivoted in the ends ot' the sliding blocks ii, which pass through a longitudinal opening formed in the outer central parts of the jaws b b. The adjustingscrewsjj screw into the ends of the blocks it', and are held so as to have no end movement in relation to tliejaws b b in thelugs b2,form y ing part of the jaws. By turning these screws jj the edge of the rollers g g may be set in any desired position in relation to the rollers c e. The jaws b b are contracted together (as the Wedge-nuts c c are moved out) by means ot' the springs la k, located between their central parts and the outer boundary of the radial slots in the plate a. Any number ofjaws with their expanding rollers may be used. I have shown four in the drawings. Three in all ordinary cases will be all that is necessary, and may be more efticient than four; but I do not wish to conne myself to any particular number.

In operating the implement on any size tube it is adapted to expand thejaws are coutracted so that the rollers e e will just pass into the end 'of the tube, when they are forced out against the inside ot' the tube-sheet by rotating the screw-shaft d, and the whole rotated by means of any suitable rod or rods being placed in the socket-holes a a', cast or formed in the plate a, thereby causing the rollers e e, by a rolling action, to press the tube against the edge of the hole in the tube-plate, the pressure of the rollers against the tube to be increased as the operation progresses, as desired, by manipulating the screw d.

It will be observed that a great number ot' sizes of tubes may be expanded by means of one implement, constructed as described and shown, as indicated between the size tube shown atj', Fig. l, and the size tube shown in dotted lines L, Fig. 3; and although said implement has considerable range of action, the power to expand tubes is ample, by reason of the combination ot' the double screw-shaft and wedge-shaped nuts with the radially-moving jaws.

rEhe rollers e e, instead of being cylindrical in form, may be shaped to form beads in the tube on either side of the tube-sheet.

' Having now described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by `Letters Patent, 1s-

l1. In combination, the jaws b b, provided with the rollers e e, the radial slotted plate a, wedge-shaped nuts e c, and screw d, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with the jaws b b, provided with the rollers e e, and adapted to be forced outwardly by means substantially as described, of the adjustable guide-rollers g g, as and for the purpose set forth. Y

8. In combination, the jaws b b, the rollers e e, radial slotted plate d, springs It' k, wedgeshaped nuts cc, and double screw-shaft d, substantially as set forth.

4. In combination, the double screw-shaft d, wedge-shaped nuts c c', jaws b b, provided with the expanding-rollers e e, and the guide-rollers 

